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First came the athletes, now the grandees. The leaders of the International Olympic Committee will sit down in London today to discuss last-minute glitches dogging the London Games and allegations of multi-million pound corruption against one of its most ...Source: www.independent.co.uk
Supermarkets to sell asthma inhalers over the counter - BBC News
Asthma inhalers will go on sale in supermarkets for the first time this month, allowing sufferers to get the medicine without seeing their doctor.
Asda said it would start selling blue reliever inhalers over the counter without prescription from Tuesday.
Customers over 16 will be able to buy two inhalers for £7 instead of the normal prescription charge of £7.65.
The Department of Health said medicines must be dispensed "in line with all legal requirements".
There are two different types of inhalers, "reliever" and "preventer" ones, available to the 5.2 million people in the UK who suffer from asthma.
Blue reliever inhalers - the ones Asda will be selling - contain the drug salbutamol and are used if someone is feeling wheezy or suffering an attack.
Preventer inhalers are taken twice daily to help keep asthma under control.
'Due care'Faisal Tuddy, deputy superintendent pharmacist at Asda, said the service was designed to be easy and convenient but would be closely monitored.
"All of our pharmacists have been trained and know they mustn't sell the inhalers without due care," he said.
Dr Samantha Walker, executive director of research and policy at Asthma UK, said the scheme was interesting in principle but she was uncertain how it would work in practice.
She said: "We applaud anything that is going to help asthma suffers but this new service has raised a few questions for us.
"Our main worry is people will overuse their inhalers when they know this service is available. If you use your inhaler too much you may end up in hospital."
Customers will be limited to two inhalers at a time which will have to last them eight weeks.
They will need to fill in a questionnaire about their condition before buying the medication.
Qualified pharmacists and an online doctor service will oversee the sale of the inhalers.
A Department of Health spokesman said: "Medicines should be dispensed by appropriately qualified staff and in line with all legal requirements."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
London 2012: Ticket hunter scours Europe to get to Games - BBC News
An Olympics fan who spent a year tracking down tickets from across Europe has secured entry to nine events - including some of the biggest.
Iain Barclay, 42, from Chepstow, Monmouthshire, scoured the internet and joined a group of other people on Twitter trying to source tickets.
Among some of the events he and his family plan to attend is the opening ceremony and the athletics 100m final.
He bought tickets from Holland, Denmark, Finland, Germany and France.
As an EU citizen, Mr Barclay is entitled to buy tickets in Europe and was able to get most of his tickets from authorised ticket resellers (ATRs).
He plans to take his wife Kathy, and children Cerys, 13, and Dan, 11, to the Games which start next week.
And they have entry to:
- Football at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium
- The opening ceremony
- The athletics 100m final
- 400m hurdles final
- Cycling finals
- Rowing
- Diving
- Table tennis
- BMX
Mr Barclay joined the ticket hunters on Twitter after it seemed getting hold of tickets through Olympics organiser Locog's initial ticket ballot was slim.
He wouldn't say how much he had spent but said it was "the same as a nice week away in the sun".
“Start Quote
End Quote Iain BarclayI've probably spent the same as a nice week away in the sun, so hope we get good weather in London too”
"The plan was to go to London with family for a week during the Olympics, so I have pretty much filled a week with good sessions," he said.
"Since starting in June last year, I've managed to build a London 2012 holiday of a lifetime.
"I didn't get anything in [the] Locog ballot last year so turned to Twitter searching to see what the general state of play was," Mr Barclay said.
He said he found people who were providing information on foreign sales.
They became known as the 2012tweeps - who also helped world 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene get extra tickets for his family and friends who want to see the Welshman race at the Olympics.
"I then started to jump on the sales and pick up tickets," Mr Barclay added.
"Mostly the sales have been unannounced, so I've had my phone set to beep on news that something was happening with a ticket seller, then had to race to my laptop to get online and grab a chance to buy tickets before they disappeared again.
"I think it has amused my family and friends really, and they will love the rewards."
Increased expenditureMr Barclay would not reveal the amount he has spent on tickets but added: "A week's worth of good finals in lots of events is bound to add up, even when you go for the "cheap seats" where possible.
"Buying from ATRs has definitely increased the expenditure in a big way - at least 25% - but has also given me assurance of getting tickets for prime sessions when Locog was looking very bleak.
"I've probably spent the same as a nice week away in the sun, so hope we get good weather in London too."
Mr Barclay admits it has been a little frustrating that tickets have become quite accessible through Locog over the last few weeks.
But he added: "It has allowed me to buy opening ceremony tickets for £20.12 so it's not all bad.
"By buying through the year as I have, I've had peace of mind that we will be able to be at the top events for a good few months, and have also spread the cost through the year.
"Locog's recent sales have enabled me to buy tickets for other family members so that they can come to some of the events with us, which we didn't think would be possible."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
London Olympics 2012: As 1,700 fall victim to pickpockets every day, this is how the Eastern European gangs do it - Daily Mail
- Pickpocketing has increased 17% over the last two years
- BBC investigation exposes tactics of professional gangs
- 625,000 'thefts from person' were recorded in 2011/12
- Homicides at level in 30 years... down 14% on last year
- Figures released by Crime Survey of England and Wales
By Jack Doyle
|
Britain is in the grip of a pickpocketing epidemic as Eastern European gangs descend on London ahead of the Olympic Games.
A surge in sneak street thefts means more than 1,700 people fall victim every day – an increase of nearly a fifth in only two years, according to official crime figures released yesterday.
At the same time, police warned that professional gangs from Romania, Lithuania and even South America who operate in capitals across Europe are heading to Britain, intent on cashing in on unwitting tourists at London 2012.
How they do it: A member of the pickpocket gang approaches a BBC reporter investigating the rise in thefts ahead of the Olympics
Keeping him occupied: The man speaks to the victim on the pretense of needing directions while another gang member approaches from behind
A BBC investigation exposed the tactics used by Romanian thieves, who were previously operating in Barcelona, to dupe their victims.
The criminals boasted of their ‘one-second’ theft techniques which leave targets unaware that anything has happened until it is too late. They can make 4,000 a week taking wallets, smartphones and laptop bags. The goods are then shipped back to Romania and sold on the black market.
Scotland Yard has made more than 80 arrests already and warned thieves the capital will be a ‘hostile environment’ in the coming weeks.
The Met has even drafted in a team of Romanian police officers to deal with the problem and patrol in the West End of London and Westminster during the Games. They will not have arrest powers.
Distracted: An accomplice (left) then plays drunk so he can get close enough to the target to strike
Sleight of hand: The 'drunk' man jostles around with the BBC reporter, making it harder for him to notice what is going on
Rich pickings: The sneering thief walks away with the wallet from the unsuspecting victim
Teamwork: The thief quickly hands the wallet to another member of the gang, who spirits it away
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘These Romanian officers will prove to be a huge asset in cracking down on certain criminal networks who are targeting tourists in central London.’
Official statistics released yesterday showed pickpocketing thefts rose 17 per cent in the past two years.
In 2011/12, a total of 625,000 people fell victim, the Crime Survey of England and Wales showed.
That is an increase of more than 102,000 since 2009/10.
The vast majority of the total are classified as ‘stealth thefts’, but in 83,000 cases the victims’ possessions were ‘snatched’.
On the rise: The blue line shows the rise of pickpocketing, increasing 17 per cent compared to 2009/10 figures. The red line shows the rate of household theft
The BBC report showed the first member of a pickpocket gang approaching their victim with a request for directions.
Another member of the gang then plays drunk to get close to the target, while taking their wallet or mobile phone. The stolen goods are handed to a third member and quickly spirited away.
The thieves told the BBC reporter they were examining online maps of London to help plan escape routes.
Detective Inspector Mark Teodorini, the head of Scotland Yard’s Olympics crime team, called for public vigilance. Officers have conducted a series of raids in recent weeks on properties where suspected thieves were living.
He said: ‘We know where people are. We know the addresses they are using, we know the vehicles they are using, and we will come through their door very robustly – and if we find anything on them, we will arrest them.’
He added: ‘We won’t always get them in the act but we are trying to disrupt their activity.
‘It is going to be a hostile environment for pickpockets. My advice to them is “don’t bother”.’
Keep them locked: Official figures show thefts from sheds have risen 10 per cent in the last year
Javed Khan, chief executive of Victim Support, said: ‘The rise in pickpocketing, thefts of wallets and unattended bags is worrying and can be the cause of upset for many victims.
‘So we cannot afford to be complacent in the fight against crime.’
In April, a family of Romanian pickpockets who built expensive homes in their home country with the proceeds of thefts from commuters were jailed.
The Rostas family targeted up to 1,000 train passengers who slept on late trains leaving London.
Five members of the family were jailed for a total of ten years.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
And there won't be any Police left on the streets ( as if there normally are anyway ) to keep an eye on these thugs.
- Graham, St Albans, UK, 20/7/2012 15:42
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